FLORIDA SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER AT IRSC
EMPLOYERS MIGHT NEED TO DEAL WITH
UNDERPERFORMING EMPLOYEES, SOCIAL
ISOLATION AS REMOTE WORKING INCREASES
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TCBusiness.com
We’re not sure yet that the newly remote
workforce is here to stay in a big way after
the pandemic is behind us. Yet, recent surveys
and studies point out that the trend is
not going away anytime soon.
A survey by Harvard Business School
economists found that 1 in 6 workers is
projected to continue working from home
or co-working at least two days a week
after the pandemic is over.
What’s more, a survey of hiring managers
by the freelancing platform Upwork
found that 1 in 5 workers could be entirely
remote after the pandemic.
And the millennial generation loves it.
A full 68% of millennial job seekers said
a work from home option would greatly
influence their interest in working for a
company and they ranked working from
home among the top workplace benefits,
a study by Fundera found.
Commissioner Thomas D. Epsky with the
Florida Reemployment Assistance Appeals
Commission and business consultant with
the Small Business Development Center
at Indian River State College, reported
that before COVID-19, 22% of Americans
worked from home and nearly 50% were
involved in some way with remote or
virtual team work.
“With the pandemic, many more businesses
have been pushed into creating
remote work situations that they never
imagined doing,” Epsky said.
He believes many employers resisted
remote work fearing employees would be
less productive or possibly result in a loss
of passive knowledge sharing.
“These concerns have been allayed with
decreased overhead costs, less employee
relations issues like hostile work environment
claims, and an average of 30-40%
increase in productivity by remote workers
over traditional site-based employees,”
according to Epsky.
So remote working is not going to disappear
and may be considered a sought-after
fringe benefit long after the pandemic is
over. While as a small business owner you
may have let some of your employees
underperform because you are understanding
of the situation, there are some
nuances to managing in the remote world.
Here are some steps you can begin
taking to more efficiently manage your
remote employees.
ESTABLISH A ROUTINE
Many successful remote managers
establish a daily call with their remote
employees, either on a one-on-one basis
or as part of a team call. Small business
owners may also find it helpful to schedule
all-hands calls routinely as well. This is
particularly helpful if your small business
is one that is highly collaborative and used
to working in the same room.
Julie Talenfeld, president of South
Florida’s BoardroomPR and an expert
in crisis communications, shared some
advice about communicating with your
remote workforce. She suggested creating
a routine system of checking in with your
employees with an official status update
at the beginning and the end of each day,
at minimum. Make yourself available at
designated times each day to make your
employees feel more comfortable to come
to you with their concerns, she said.
“Communication is key in order to keep
everyone updated on pendings, ensure
projects don’t fall through the cracks and
make sure deadlines are met,” advised
Aileen Izquierdo, interim chair of Florida
International University’s Department of
Communication.
Messages should be specific and
well-targeted, not one size fits all, and
they also need to be human, she added.
Managers should be flexible and give as
much lead time as possible on meetings
and deadlines.
In these times, remember that it is easy
to feel isolated with everyone working
remotely, often for the first time. Phone
calls rather than emails for the typical back
and forth inter-office communication may
be more natural, Izquierdo said.
PROVIDE COMMUNICATION OPTIONS
Epsky believes that working with remote
teams demands new collaboration skills.
Commissioner Thomas Epsky has
been a member of the Florida
Reemployment Assistance Appeals
Commission since 2001. Prior
to his appointment, he was the
managing partner and principle
consultant in a human resource
consulting practice. He began
his career in human resource
management as a training
manager in Macy’s Department
Store and was a human resource
generalist at the State University
of New York at Stony Brook on
Long Island, New York. He holds a
bachelor’s degree from the State
University of New York as well
as a master’s degree from Barry
University. He holds professional
certifications including: the senior
professional in human resources
from the Human Resource
Certification Institute; the senior
certified professional from the
Society for Human Resource
Management; and the certified
professional designation from the
International Public Management
Association for Human Resources.
“What is missing from texts, emails,
conference calls, and other digital media
is body language,” Epsky cautioned. “The
tone of a text or email is highly subjective
and easily misinterpreted.”
Epsky warned these misinterpretations
BY NANCY DAHLBERG
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/TCBusiness.com
